Never Ending
by Betty BOKOR
Summary: SamDaniel. Vala has a secret and Sam has promised to help her. This story tags Unending.
1. Chapter 1

**Never Ending **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Vala has a secret and Sam has promised to help her. This story tags Unending and is kind to Vala and all the other characters in general.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 10 to the end.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Never Ending**

**Chapter 1**

Sam saw Vala walking toward her with a worried expression and wondered what was going on. In the last months they had, surprisingly, become good friends. Sam was not used to having _girly_ girlfriends; not that Vala was exactly _girly_, but most of the women she had befriended along the years had been military women. The closest of all had undoubtedly been Janet Fraiser, but, after her death, Sam had not gotten that close to anyone else. That is until Vala came in. Whether Sam wanted it or not, Vala had decided that they were going to be best friends.

At the beginning Sam had found it difficult to trust her new teammate and she had even felt a little bit of jealousy at the way Daniel seemed to always be there for her. Slowly she had realized that Vala was starving for friendship and just mere kindness and that she had found very little of either before joining the S.G.C. Then Vala had proved that she was willing to sacrifice herself for them and that she could be useful in their battle against the Ori. More intimately, she had showed a warm and vulnerable side that Sam had not known how to react to, and, before she had even realized, she had started trusting Vala and in some cases confiding things to her that she would not even dare tell Daniel. It felt strange; it was as if Vala had the power to allow her to let the high barriers that surrounded her go down and show her own vulnerability. Among many other experiences they had shared, the fact that Vala had also been a host for a Goa'uld was one of the things that had permitted Sam to open up with her about Jolinar. She had never had an opportunity like that before, and, in spite of all the years that had passed since the incident, it was only after discussing it with Vala that she had really felt she could put it behind her.

"Hey," she greeted as soon as Vala was close enough. "What's going on?"

"I need to talk to you," Vala answered and gestured as if to show she had something serious to say.

"Let's go to my lab," Sam started suggesting, but Vala grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"No, not here. We need to get out of here."

"Out of here? You mean out of the base?"

"Yes, out, away from the mountain," Vala replied with clear determination.

"Okay. Let me get ready and I'll meet you at the surface in ten minutes," Sam said and walked away.

Half an hour later they were walking down one of the trails of the Cheyenne Mountain State Park. Vala guided Sam toward a small picnic area where there were some stone tables and benches.

"Let's sit here. Are you sure this is secure? Nobody can hear us?"

Sam smiled and assured it was secure. Vala sat down in front of her and seemed undecided as to how to broach the secret she was about to share. Sam tried to help her.

"What is it, Vala? What do you want to talk about?"

"It's something serious, very personal."

"Have you done something? Are you in trouble? Maybe if we call Daniel we can see if there's any way to help you-"

"Well," Vala interrupted, looking hurt, "though I can see why you may think that I'm in trouble, it's something entirely different."

Sam felt bad that she had misjudged the situation so fast, but Vala smiled widely and added, "Come on, Sam, I'm joking, as you say. I want to talk about something serious –and I understand that's not fairly common for me– but I cannot keep this a secret any longer."

"Okay. Tell me what's the secret," Sam asked.

"It's hard to explain…" Vala doubted for a second. "It has to do with that whole mess during our trip to the Asgard world."

Sam immediately looked around, worried that someone could actually be listening to their conversation. "Shouldn't we have talked about this in the base and not here? If it's classified-"

"No! We cannot talk about this in there. This is very personal, I told you."

Sam gestured for her to continue and Vala tried again. "You know how Teal'c is supposed to be the only one who remembers what happened while we were in the time dilation field, just because he's the only one who didn't go back in time and all that…"

"You mean he's not the only one? That's not possible, Vala. We can't remember something we haven't actually been through-"

"But we _did_ go through it; we just went back and undid it or not did it or-" She stopped because she felt she was not making sense and tried to gauge Sam's reaction.

"Okay, I understand what you mean, but, seriously, at least _in theory_ because no one has done this before and we can't prove it, none of us should remember anything, except Teal'c."

"But I _do_ remember!" She emphasized.

"You do? What do you remember?"

"Not the whole thing; just bits and pieces. And it's not truly remembering. It's more like dreaming about it."

"You have dreams about that time? How do you know they aren't just dreams and not memories? They could just be ideas about how you imagine those years could have gone by and-"

"No; I know they're memories. They're very clear and they never contradict each other."

"I see. Still…" She was ready to object again, when Vala's sad expression stopped her. "So, _what_ do you remember?" Sam asked again.

"I remember that you modified the Asgard beaming technology and you transformed matter in things we needed to survive, for example."

"I did?" Sam asked, seriously doubting such achievement. Vala nodded and Sam added, "Well, we surely would have needed a lot more supplies than we had in the ship. That would make sense. I could look at it tomorrow and-" She stopped herself and looked at Vala. "You _do_ really remember things, don't you? What else?"

"You learned to play the cello," Vala revealed with a smile.

"I've always wanted to learn… Wow! I'm starting to believe this. Tell me something else."

Vala smiled. "Cam was miserable most of the time and Landry grew his own garden."

Sam sat back and pondered what she was hearing. "Are you going to tell General Landry?" she finally asked.

Vala had been waiting for that question and for Sam to take in everything she had said. "No. I'm not telling anyone else. You said in the ship that it wouldn't be good. That we would one way or another get to the same place on our own somehow."

"Well, not exactly. We'll steer our lives in the same direction, but it can't be the same, even with Teal'c's help. The circumstances have changed and our lives would never be the same as those once we got out of the ship."

"I understand," Vala said sadly.

Sam was surprised by the new tone and asked, "So, why did you tell _me_? Is there something bad going to happen to me? Are you trying to warn me?"

"Yes, I'm trying to warn you, but not about your death or anything like it. It's about Daniel."

"Daniel? What about Daniel? Is _he_ going to die?"

"No, that's not it. I told you; it's complicated. Daniel and… Daniel-" she tried again, but it was hard to say it out loud.

"Come on, Vala; Daniel what? Did he get hurt?"

Vala could see that Sam was getting more worried by the second, so she finally dared put it into words. "Daniel and I got together," she said softly. Sam became immobile; all possible reactions were swiftly hidden behind her most unrevealing expression. "We were together almost the whole time; up to the end…" She stopped and looked at Sam, but nothing was coming from her. "As a couple; do you understand?"

Sam nodded slowly, but still kept quiet. She was genuinely unable to comment on what Vala had just revealed. She had thought about the idea of Daniel and Vala being together now and then, especially at the beginning, while she was working at Area 51 and her friend was literally bound to the alien woman. However, Daniel had denied the possibility so many times that she had finally convinced herself that it would never happen. She was not sure if the notion had ever made her happy. On the one hand, it was a good thing for Daniel to find someone who loved him and Vala had showed that she was deserving of a man like him. On the other hand was the scaring fact that once Daniel started his own family, he would slowly fade away from her life. Sam had lost many friends that way before, but she had never had such a deep connection with any of them as she had with Daniel. Not even with Jack or Teal'c. Not even with Janet.

Vala did not interrupt Sam's thoughts. She allowed her to remain quiet and process what she was trying to explain. Finally, after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Sam came up with something to say. "I'm glad that you weren't both alone. God knows Daniel has been alone long enough, and you too deserve-"

"That's not all I remember," Vala interrupted. "I know more."

"But you said that the reason you're telling me this was the two of you-"

"I know; that's part of it. There's more."

"Okay. Tell me. I was just wondering if you have talked about this with Daniel; if you're going to pursue this," Sam said in a rush, trying to let the words come out before they hurt her inside.

"No, I'm not telling anyone else. Only you."

"You want me to help you get Daniel to realize that he should be with you?" Sam offered, already feeling the pain of the loss that would follow such an action.

"No, that's not it either," Vala said calmly. "Listen to me, Samantha, because this is one of the hardest moments of my life."

Sam tried to ask why, but Vala did not let her interrupt.

"Let me say all this at once. It will be less difficult that way." She sighed and went on. "I'm in love with Daniel. I have been for a long while now," she confessed looking at her hands on the stone surface of the table. "I cannot explain how it happened. I've always found him very attractive –since the day I kept him in the Prometheus– and I still do." She smiled softly and looked shyly at Sam.

Sam smiled back, understanding.

"But it wasn't that. It's something about him. I know he's not a saint, as you say here, but there's that_ thing_ about him. It's the way he relates to others, I think. Sometimes I believe he can see through people, but he doesn't always see all the nastiness that can be inside someone. He can far more easily find something worth saving in everyone. That's why he stayed with me."

"I'm sorry, Vala, but I think that you're mistaken," Sam said at the first chance she got. "Because Daniel is the way he is, he would have never gotten together with you if he didn't love you."

"Oh, he loved me, I know he loved me, precisely because of the way he is. I have dreamt about the day when we finally decided to give it a try many, many times. It always happens the same way. I ask for sex, as usual, and Daniel refuses, as usual. But, then, he goes beyond that. He finally explains all the reasons why we shouldn't get together, why we would be bad for each other, why even sex isn't an option. He tells me what he felt after his wife died and how he's ready to try again with someone else, but not me, not me-"

"So, what changed? How?" Sam can hear the pain in Vala's words.

"He saw it, Sam. He looked at me and saw it. He saw how hard I had fallen for him, how his words had hurt me. He realized how much I had changed, because before him, I had never allowed myself to fall for anyone, not even for Tomin. I _did_ love Tomin and I still love him in some way, but it was more of a grateful love. For Daniel, I would do anything."

"So, you have to fight for it," Sam said encouragingly.

"No. That's why I _don't_ have to fight for it. Listen, Sam. You have to understand this. Daniel was the first man, the first person ever to trust me in spite of everything I've done in my life. Believe me, Daniel knew much of the worst part of me, right from the beginning, but when I needed him to trust me, when it finally really mattered, he did. In spite of all of his protests, he did. I don't know why. Anyone knows I didn't deserve it, but he _did_ and that changed my life. I have loved him since then. And then, when we were in Ver Egen and I was… burned, you know, he held me. I woke up in his arms. His pain was genuine; his joy was too. I couldn't not have loved him. Now, every time I dream about those fifty years on board the Odyssey, I can feel how happy he made me."

"I'm sure you made him happy, too."

"I'm sure, too, because from that very first day when we got together, he _decided_ that he was going to love me. He _decided_ that he was going to make me happy and that he was going to be happy, too. I'm sure that by the end he was completely convinced that it had been always that way."

"That's not something you decide, Vala."

"Yes, it can be. Daniel has known both what it means to be deeply loved and what it means to be so alone in this world that just waking up in the morning is painful. I'm sure he didn't love Sha're from the moment he met her, but he left his life behind for her, because he saw the potential there. The potential for happiness. The right conditions to invest all his feelings and gain much from it. Do you know how many couples in the universe don't choose each other, but end up living together for the rest of their lives because of the decision of their families, because of social pressure, or because of many other, worse, reasons? In spite of it, many of those couples lead happy lives and trust and love each other. They learn to love one another because they think it's the right thing to do. Daniel can do that. I'm all for falling, suddenly, madly in love. He can do both."

"If you're right, he's always done the first, not the falling madly…"

"That's where you're wrong. There are many other things that I can remember from those days. First, let me say that Daniel was always faithful to me, that I never believed he could betray me, but there were those little sighs, those furtive looks, those hands that couldn't stay away for too long, even if it was just for a tiny touch. Whenever his brain was not fully in control and his heart took charge, all those gestures would come to light without him even noticing. Nobody else noticed, not even you, just me."

"What are you talking about, Vala?" Sam asked genuinely puzzled.

"I believe that years ago, I'd say right around the time when he descended for the first time, Daniel was too vulnerable, too raw to escape from feelings that had been kept at guard and controlled for years. I've read the reports, a short while ago, after I realized all this, and now I'm sure."

"You'll have to explain it more clearly, because I'm completely confused. What reports? What are you talking about?"

"Vis Uban. O'Neill said in his report that when you approached Daniel for the first time in Vis Uban, he rejected you very hastily. I think that's when it first hit him."

"What?"

"His feelings for you." Sam sat back with a gesture of dismissal. Vala continued. "We've talked many times about him since I met you. I've even asked you if you had feelings for him or if you had ever had had something."

"And I've always told you that there's been nothing but a great friendship between us."

"I know, and maybe that's really how you feel, but have you thought that he may have had other feelings for you?"

"No. That's not possible."

"I, on the other hand, have no doubt."

"He hasn't told you anything like that, has he?" Sam asked, starting to feel dizzy.

"No. I put it all together on my own," Vala admitted with a smile. "I think that very first day you two met, in that Cartouche Room on Abydos, he realized he had met his soul mate. He saw himself in you; the genius he would never admit to himself, the hunger for discovery, the love for knowledge. All the intellectual fuel that he needs to keep going in a world that has not given him much of the emotional kind. In the whole S.G.C. you are his only true equal. I think that he was starving for that after a year on that planet. No matter how bright, how loving, how giving Sha're was, she'd have never even comprehended half of what was brewing in one minute in his mind. You can. You can take his ideas and carry them further on your own. You can meet him at his level and keep climbing with him. I think that as soon as he realized that, he fell hard for you, like he had never fallen before."

"He never said anything like that," Sam tried to dismiss it.

"He didn't get to even accept it himself. That lonely feeling, that euphoria that rushed inside him as he talked to you, soon vanished and was replaced by furious guilt as he realized Sha're was lost and it had happened while he was rejoicing in your intellectual feedback."

Sam was about to object again when Vala continued.

"He had to crush that feeling then. He owed all his passion to his wife, the woman he felt he had betrayed, unburying the gate, leaving her to go with O'Neill and you, discovering the joy of being understood. I don't think he ever allowed himself to consciously go back there. He transformed you into something unreachable, untouchable, harmless, safe. A best friend. That is, until he descended and all constraining memories were taken away from him. He saw you there, walking toward him, about to touch him, and every repressed feeling rushed to the surface. He must have felt overwhelmed. He probably panicked. He rejected you and run to hide until the rush had passed."

Sam lifted her hands to her face and softly rubbed her forehead as if she were hurting. "You know, Vala, I understand what you're saying and I also understand how you could have reached such conclusions, but I'm pretty sure that's not how Daniel feels. If he had really felt that way, he would have just told something after he descended, at least."

"He never said a word?"

Sam quickly answered, "No," but a few seconds later she remembered the odd question Daniel asked while they were in his tent on Vis Uban. "No," she repeated. That had only been a logical response to her praises of him.

"In any case, I don't care if he said anything or not. Maybe he thought you belonged to O'Neill, like mostly everybody else in the base."

"I told you there was nothing there when you asked me before."

"That doesn't mean that Daniel didn't feel there was something or that there were other reasons why you were beyond his reach. Perhaps he simply couldn't afford another heartache, but somewhere along the line, he thought he had a shot with you. That's what he was talking about when he said he was ready to try getting close to someone again."

Sam shook her head. She still could not believe that Daniel could have any of those feelings for her. "Look, Vala. You think you spent those fifty years with him and that both of you were happy. Why would you not try to relive that? What does all this that you think he feels for me have to do with anything? There's nothing between Daniel and me, just as there was nothing between Jack and me. No matter what others think, that's the only truth."

"He doesn't need to learn to love me if he already loves you."

"He doesn't."

"Well, why don't you ask him and if he says that he doesn't, I will tell him what I feel."

"What about what I feel?" Sam looked at her with a little bit of indignation.

"Oh, well, we both know that you love him already, so-"

"I don't love him!" Sam almost yelled. Then she closed her eyes and gestured impatiently with her hands. She reopened her eyes and tried to look calmly at Vala. "I _do_ love him, but not that way."

"Sure?"

"Sure," she stated with conviction.

"Sure, sure, sure, sure?" Vala asked again with a small smile.

"Yes," Sam replied, but this time a little doubt crossed her mind. "Ah, no, you're putting ideas in my head."

"Okay then. Promise me you'll do something for me and then everything will be okay."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Ask Daniel."

"If he's in love with you?"

"No; if he's in love with _you_."

"I can't ask him that."

"You said that he's your best friend, that you trust him with your life, and you cannot ask him a little question?"

"It's not a little question. It's something that could hurt him. What if he says _yes_ and I have to tell him that I don't feel the same?"

"Ah… so you think there's a chance that he will say _yes_."

"No. There's no chance."

"But you just said-"

"No, really. There's no chance at all."

"So, you can ask him and there won't be any problem, because you won't have to tell him that part about you not feeling the same way. You can just say something like _"Great, because I'm not in love with you either,"_ and you can both live happily ever after." She stood up and added, "So, we're in agreement now and you'll let me know right after you ask him." She smiled brightly and waited for Sam to stand up.

Sam slowly left her bench trying to think up a good reason why not to ask such a question to Daniel, but too many ideas were fighting in her head and she could not come up with anything. A couple of days later, as she was picking up the dinner plates and putting them in the dishwasher, she tried to gather enough resolve to ask the question and end the whole ridiculous situation.

Daniel had just finished putting the leftovers in the fridge and was cleaning the table. He enjoyed fixing dinner for Sam. She had a way of taking pleasure in every bite when they were not rushing to eat the cafeteria food at the base, that made it worth spending hours shopping for the right ingredients and later fixing the meal.

They finally sat down to drink some coffee in his living room and she decided to go ahead and ask.

"You know, Daniel, how all these years we've been friends and we've told each other most of our secrets…"

"Yes?" Daniel asked with curiosity.

"Well, there's a question that I'd like to ask you, but I wouldn't like you to feel offended or hurt, I don't know… I'd just really want you to answer truthfully and then we can forget it. Please, I don't want it to get awkward between us."

"Okay," Daniel accepted without hesitation

"You're not, I mean, you've never been _in_ love with me, have you? I know how much we love each other, but that's another kind of love and what I'm asking about-"

"Well, the truth is," Daniel started and lowered his head slightly, so as not to have to look at Sam eye to eye, "the truth is-"

"Oh, my God!" Sam gasped. "You have! You are? That's crazy. I can't believe. I can't believe we both feel that way," she finished without one bit of mental restraint.

Daniel looked at her and smiled widely. He looked very surprised, almost shocked, but amused at the same time. "You do? You're in love with me, Sam?"

Sam was about to answer when the whole conversation replayed in her mind and she realized two fundamental facts. First, Daniel had _not_ said he loved her and, second, she had said _she_ loved _him_, even though she had been completely sure until five minutes ago that she did not. Now she was not able to deny it even to herself. She tried to calm down and bravely looked at Daniel's eyes. "Please, just tell me the truth and we will leave it at that, okay?"

Daniel was still smiling. He was overwhelmed by Sam's revelation. Now he had to find the courage to reveal his feelings. A friendship like theirs was too much to risk.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Never Ending **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Vala has a secret and Sam has promised to help her. This story tags Unending and is kind to Vala and all the other characters in general.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 10 to the end.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Never Ending**

**Chapter 2**

"Sam, you _do_ realize that you've just admitted that you're in love with me? We can't leave it at that anymore. This is something we need to talk about, that we need to discuss. You said it; we've been friends for too long and we love each other too much –in _any_ way– to let it at that. I'm not sure that you knew yourself what you were about to say before you just let it escape your lips a minute ago. Why don't you relax for a second and think about it. Are you sure that's what you meant?" Sam was about to reply when he stopped her. "Wait. I said, take your time. Let's go back to the beginning. What made you ask in the first place?"

Sam sighed. She knew he was not going to answer her question any time soon. He was taking the whole situation as a diplomatic endeavor. He was going to confirm her feelings before letting anything be known from his side. She also knew why; he had been hurt too much before.

She tried to relax. The revelation had affected her probably as much as it had affected him. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"It was Vala," she finally admitted.

"Vala? What does she have to do with this?"

"She's convinced that you love me. She wanted me to ask you, because she's bent on getting you to be happy. If you said _no_, she would have found someone else for you. If you said _yes_, then she probably would have tried to convince me to give it a try."

"Why? Why would she think _that_ and why would she try to find someone for me?"

"Something happened; I haven't been able to figure out why, but she seems to have memories of what happened on board the Odyssey."

"You said that wasn't possible."

"I know, but she has told me things she couldn't have made up. Things that only_ I_ would have known."

"And we have no doubt that Teal'c hasn't told her anything."

"I'm sure he hasn't."

"Have you told the General?"

"She refuses to tell anyone else. I wasn't supposed to tell you either. I just can't explain all this without telling you the truth."

"So, she thinks you and I had feelings for each other while we were there? Did we get together?"

"No, we didn't. You should talk with her. She should have asked you herself. Now, I made this big mess-" She suddenly felt very vulnerable. Her eyes filled with tears and she raised her hands to her face to cover them.

Daniel noticed it immediately and approached her in an instant. He kneeled by her side and softly took her hands from her face. "Hey, listen. This isn't a mess. We're best friends, aren't we? We have very strong feelings for each other. Maybe that's what you were talking about."

"What if it wasn't that?" Sam said softly while closing her eyes.

"That would be fine, too. We just need to talk it out. You've been very honest with me and-"

"I wasn't planning to…"

"Would you have lied to me? If you really had feelings for me, would you have hidden them from me? Don't you trust that what we already have between us is strong enough to face something like this?"

"Unilateral feelings usually end up ruining the best friendships."

"You and I aren't like most people, Sam. We've been through experiences that only few others have shared. Nothing is going to be regular or normal for us ever again. Wasn't that what kept you away from Pete? Even if that were what you really want, would you have been happy with a regular life as a wife and a mother and a job at the local community college? You and I will always hunger for something more. One more discovery. One more civilization. We would take our kids through the gate if necessary. The same way my parents took me from dig to dig." He stopped for a few seconds and then added, "Nothing less than that will ever be normal for us."

Sam shook her head softly. "I'm just so confused now. This is overwhelming…"

"I understand. I think we need to talk more, but we have to take it easy. I need to think, too. I have an idea. There's something I want to take care of before we go any further with this, but I don't want you to leave. Can I trust that you will still be here when I come back? I won't take too long and it will give you a chance to relax and examine your feelings. You can go to the guest room upstairs and lie down for a while."

"I think I'd better go home." Sam said as she stood up.

"No, Sam, please," he begged. "Everything will be all right. Just promise me you'll wait for me here." She did not answer, so he smiled and added, "If you leave, I'll go sit in front of your house until you accept to talk to me again."

"You think I'd hide in my house and refuse to discuss this?" she asked.

"Probably," Daniel answered, still smiling.

Sam was surprised that he could read her so well. She had thought only moments ago about running to her house and spending the weekend trying to avoid any contact with Daniel. She felt like a coward. "I promise," she said. "I'll take you on your offer. I'll go upstairs until you're back. Do you want to tell me where you're going?"

"I will, after I'm back. Trust me; I have to do this, but we'll talk as soon as I come back."

"Okay," was all she said before Daniel grabbed her hand and guided her to the guest bedroom with a hot cup of coffee in his other hand.

A few minutes later, he was on his way to the base. As soon as he entered the military complex, he checked where Vala was. Not surprisingly, he discovered that she was in his office, as usual.

"Hey," he said as soon as he saw her, sitting on top of his desk with a book in her hands. "Are you too busy or you think we could take a short walk on the surface?"

Vala looked at him with curiosity. Then she jumped off the desk and held his arm. "Sure. Why not?" she said as they started walking toward the elevators.

Once on the surface, she sat on a bench and he stood facing her, leaning against a tree.

"So…" he started.

"Yes?"

"Sam came to see me today. We had dinner and some coffee and… then she asked me this fairly odd question."

"I see," Vala said. "And what did you answer?"

"Actually, I haven't answered yet."

"You haven't? Why?"

Daniel put his hands in his pockets and wondered a few steps away from the tree, just enough to turn toward the west and look away from Vala as he talked. "She told me the question came from you."

Vala made a gesture of surprise. "She did? She promised-"

"She got into trouble and had to tell the whole story," Daniel said turning back to face her again.

"Well, there's a completely logical explanation," Vala tried, changing her demeanor.

"There is? Can you explain it to me?"

"It pretty much explains itself."

"No, it doesn't," Daniel said, exasperated.

Vala gestured nervously from the bench. "All right. Apparently, I have these… memories of the Odyssey, and I-" She looked down, "I kind of discovered that you didn't spend that time alone," she finished in a rush.

Daniel turned away again, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. "Do you remember with whom I spent those years?" he asked almost in a whisper.

She hesitated for a moment and then admitted, "Yes, sort of-"

"Are you going to tell me?" He turned back to look at her.

"Well, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Vala, you can't stop now. You started it. Now I need to know."

"Sam said it wouldn't be good for us to know."

"But you already know."

"Yes, but-"

"Vala, please," he begged.

She made a gesture of defeat and looked down. "Would you believe me if I told you it was me?"

"You?"

The surprise in his tone was too evident and Vala felt hurt. She looked at him with a small smile and asked, "Why not? We were there for a long time. I don't think we had many other options around there; do you?"

He did not answer, but she could see that he was feeling uncomfortable.

She tried again. "Unless you don't like girls or you don't find me attractive." She stood up and walked toward him. She put her hand on his back and got closer to him. "You don't think we could have made a good couple?"

Daniel looked even more uncomfortable and asked, "Do you want an honest answer to that question?"

Suddenly, many memories rushed to Vala's mind. She had heard that before and what had followed had been very painful, even if the final result had not. "No," she answered with a slight break in her voice and walked away from him.

"No, seriously… You started this." He stepped closer to her and Vala shivered. "Do you want an honest answer to the question?"

She could not look at him. She just played with her hands while looking down. "No. Don't worry about it. We should forget all about this." She tried to walk away, but Daniel stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me, Vala. Do you believe I could have any kind of serious feelings for you?"

She was feeling the pain all over again. She wanted it to stop. She wanted him to keep all those unkind words to himself. She did not want him to stay with her _only_ because _she_ had fallen crazily for him.

"I wasn't really suggesting that you have… serious feelings for me, Daniel-"

"Why not? Does it sound so unbelievable?" Vala looked at him. That was not what Daniel had said in her dreams of the Odyssey. "I mean," he smiled slightly, "I know it's hard to even imagine what such relationship with you would be like, but…" He hesitated. "I mean, yes, you've proven yourself to be-" he searched for the right word, "trustworthy, on a professional level, and for that I'm very proud of you." He moved closer to her; "but, on a personal level…" He stopped and looked down. Vala sat back down on the bench and tears began running quietly down her cheeks, as she prepared herself for the words she knew were coming. She closed her eyes right as he moved even closer and sat by her side. "Vala, on a personal level, we're both, both of us, at best, emotional, unstable wrecks." He tried to look at her, but she was facing away. "Hey, I'm not saying I'm any better…" He smiled softly. "I'm not saying I'm any better than you. There was a time when I thought I would never get over losing my wife. I mean, the idea of-" He sighed and closed his eyes. "The idea of being hurt that way again… so much…" He had tears in his eyes and Vala had to turn to look at him, because the pain in his voice was almost unbearable. "But I finally got to the place, finally, for the first time in a long time, I've gotten to the place where I actually feel I could get close to somebody again."

Vala knew what was coming. In spite of how this conversation had varied from the one in her dreams, she was certain the next part had no way of changing. "But not in a million years, a million years, would you have _ever_ possibly considered that person being me. Is that what you were going to say, Daniel? I mean, you're so sure that we're so completely opposite and _wrong_ for each other that it's not even funny and the worst part-" She stood up and raised her voice as she walked away from the bench, "the worst part about that is that _this whole flirty-sexual thing that I do, _that's just my way of having a laugh at your expense." She was almost yelling with indignation at the end.

Daniel was still sitting down and was looking at her with something akin to horror in his eyes. All those ideas had one time or another crossed his mind. He had a different view of Vala now, but all those ideas had definitely come from his mind.

"There, I said it. Now, you don't have to do it yourself and I can go back to being my usual bored self." She started walking toward the path to the entrance to the mountain, but he stopped her one more time. She bit her lip nodding slightly, as he turned her to face him. "No!" She said softly, but with clear determination. He let her go and he moved back a few steps. He then dropped his head down in defeat. Vala wiped her tears away, as she waited for him to say anything else.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," he finally said. "I have no doubt that you remember something, I don't know what, but something. Those words could have only come from me, but," Vala took a deep breath and he approached her again and guided her back to the bench. Then he sat down beside her and reached out a hand to touch her back. "But-" Vala sobbed softly interrupting him yet again. "Hey, look at me, Vala, look at me."

She pulled away and covered her face with her hands. "Just give me a minute," she asked him.

"Look at me, please, Vala, look at me," he repeated. She refused and shook her head. He got up and walked around her to be able to face her. He kneeled in front of her and then pulled her hair away from her face and helped her wipe her tears. "Vala, I don't think of you that way anymore. That woman, the one I could have gotten close to, that woman could have been you… it really could," he said with conviction. "It's just that-"

"It's just that Sam was there before me," Vala suggested, feeling more composed.

"Yes, Sam was there first, I'd say ten years before you."

She smiled a little and waved her head slightly as she said, "I knew it, don't worry. I only hope she feels the same way. I'm pretty much sure that she does, though."

"I'm starting to believe it myself," Daniel added with a smile.

"So, are you going to do anything about it?"

"I think I'll give it a try, see if we're right for each other."

Vala nodded in support. Then she looked at him and asked, "Why did you really come to see me today, Daniel? You could have just figured what to do with Sam on your own."

"I came because I felt there was something there, between you and me, and I needed to clear it before I risked going for Sam."

She smiled and raised a hand to softly caress his cheek. "I wouldn't have fallen for you if you weren't like that."

He softly pulled her hand away from his cheek and lowered his mouth to it. He gently kissed her hand and smiled at her. "You're very special, Vala. You'll find someone else more deserving of your love."

She smiled back. "I've been thinking about Muscles, what do you think? Cameron is too smitten with that Amy, and General Landry seems a little bit old, you know, having a grown-up daughter such as Dr. Lam…"

Daniel conjured images in his head of an annoyed Teal'c trying to escape from Vala and opted for making a different suggestion. "I think you're more the right type for Jack. The next time he's around here I'll get him to take you out for dinner."

"Oh, I like him with all that gray hair; pretty handsome!" Vala joked with a fuller smile

"He's a great guy. You'll like him when you get to know him." He helped her up from the bench and they started walking back.

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Never Ending **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Vala has a secret and Sam has promised to help her. This story tags Unending and is kind to Vala and all the other characters in general.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 10 to the end.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Never Ending**

**Chapter 3**

Half an hour later Daniel was back in his car, driving home, but he was still not sure that he was ready to talk to Sam. When he arrived, he walked directly upstairs to see her and discovered that she had fallen asleep. He went to his home office and chose a small piece of paper to write a note for her. He explained that he had been there and promised to be back soon, but he did not say why he had to go out again. Then he left the note on her nightstand and got in his car again.

It was getting late and he was not sure where to go. He needed a place to give her a last farewell, to let go of her forever. He finally stopped near a church on Kiowa Street. After parking, he walked slowly towards it. It was Saint Mary's Cathedral and its doors were still open. He entered the impressive building and he was overwhelmed by the intensity of the silence in the nave. That was the right place. He would have preferred something that could bring more memories from Abydos, but there was nothing remotely similar to it in Colorado Springs.

He sat in one of the pews and took a picture out of his pocket. It was Sha're's picture; he had picked it up from his home desk. He looked at it for a while and soon his eyes were full of tears. He was trying to remember all the happy, beautiful moments he had shared with her, but only the painful events that followed her kidnapping kept coming to his mind. Soon he was crying quietly, but with such depth of feeling that he was surprised. He had cried countless nights after he went back to Earth without her, when nobody could hear him, but he had never actually cried for her after her death. He had kept all his emotions under heavy lock and key. After all these years he finally felt he could release them.

He had been crying for a while, covering his eyes with his hands, when he suddenly remembered the Sha're from the tent, the Sha're who was trying to communicate with him in spite of Amaunet. There was something in her eyes, right before she died, that had stayed with him forever. First she had looked sad, cold, desolate, but then there was more, all her love for him and, also, kindness. He felt as though she had tried to console him, to give him peace. No one else tried, for fear of renewing the pain or because they simply did not know how. She must have guessed what he had gone through since she was taken and how he was unable to let go. She knew that one of his teammates would almost certainly come to rescue him –in any case, to rescue his body– and she wanted to save his soul. She knew she was going to die –she probably had planned it somehow; she possibly welcomed that final liberation– and she wanted to give him something special with her last breath. She wanted him to forgive and start again. She could not use many words, but the last thing he saw in her eyes was a smile. There was forgiveness and hope in that last look, in those last words. Since then, every time he had felt lost or desperate, he had turned to her memories for comfort.

For a moment he reflected on how along the years he had always regretted how he had lost so soon what had made him so happy. It was as if he had always been waiting for her, for someone to show him that kind of selfless love that he had lost so young after the death of his parents. Then, so shortly after he had started learning to enjoy it, it had been taken away by the cruel hand of Apophis. Now, he suddenly saw it in a different way. Maybe, it was a blessing that he had had Sha're at all, even for that short time, even with all the pain that had come afterwards. Who knew if he would have ever gotten used to living in that desert forever. It had certainly been hard. At the beginning, the continuous discoveries had kept him occupied, but later he had started feeling the desperation of not having anyone to share his passion. It had only been worth it because she loved him; and all that he had learned with her, he could now give to Sam. Sam was his equal in so many ways, almost as Sarah had been, but when he had met Sarah, he did not know how to love; he did not know the bliss it would give him to give himself to her, like he had with Sha're. Now he knew better, and though he had thought he would never feel anything like that for anyone else, he was right here preparing to go back to Sam and offer himself.

He gave one more look at the picture, as he had so many times when he missed her, when he felt hopeless, loveless, and this time he remembered Sha're smiling brightly at him under the Abydos sun. He remembered her kisses and her laugh, her clear voice singing or making plans for the future, and he thanked the Heavens for all of it. If there was a God listening somewhere, he just wanted to thank Him for her. He was not going to forget her; she would always be a part of him; he would always love her, but now he could love someone else, and that someone else was waiting for him at home.

He got up and went back to his car. He was home a few minutes later. It was very late, so he thought about letting Sam sleep, but when he walked towards his bedroom, he saw that the light was on in his guest room. He knocked softly and Sam called him in. She was sitting on the bed, holding her legs in her arms. She smiled at him, but he felt she was somehow afraid of something.

"How are you doing? Did you get some rest?"

Sam simply nodded.

"Well, do you want to talk?" he asked as he sat on the bed facing her.

She closed her eyes and seemed uncomfortable. Then she raised her head and looked at him. "You're right about one thing, Daniel. It wouldn't be fair to lie to you. Actually, you're right about something else. I had no clue about these… feelings… before I told you. They blindsided me. I've probably been denying them to myself. I had some signs-" she smiled shyly. "Does jealousy count?"

Daniel smiled back and nodded. "Yep. It definitely counts in my book."

"Well, then… It's just that I never thought it could work. Before, it was because of Sha're. It was as if she was always by your side, even after-"

"I've made my peace with her. Don't worry, Sam."

"And now, there's Vala. At the beginning, she drove me crazy. I think that's when I first felt jealous in a long time. I usually had the sensation that you'd always be there and suddenly there was this woman who seemed to be trying to have you for herself… It was disconcerting, but I told myself that I just didn't want to lose a friend. I think I got used to the idea that what I really wanted was for you to be happy and if she was the one-"

"I had a talk with Vala tonight. That's where I went. Since all this began, you know, in the Prometheus, there's always been something there and I had to close that door before coming back here."

"You don't have to close anything because of me," Sam said defensively and immediately her eyes filled with tears, so she closed them and turned her face away from Daniel.

He stood up, walked around the bed and sat by her side. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "Not because of you, but for you, because I want to be with you and I've known that for a lot longer than you. I just thought that there was no chance of it happening. Now that I know how you feel, nothing would stop me, Sam."

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	4. Chapter 4

**Never Ending **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Vala has a secret and Sam has promised to help her. This story tags Unending and is kind to Vala and all the other characters in general.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 10 to the end.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Never Ending**

**Chapter 4**

Sam started crying as soon as she heard him. She was definitely overwhelmed by the whole idea of being in love with her best friend and her best friend being in love with her. She knew it could have been worse; one of the two may have not had the same feelings, but it was still too much. "Would you stay here with me for a while?" She finally asked.

Daniel nodded and kept holding her until she calmed down. Then he brought her some comfortable clothes to go to bed and he let her go to sleep. He spent the whole night trying to figure out how they would work up this new facet of their relationship. Nevertheless, the following days did not match any of his thoughts. Sam constantly kept him at a safe distance and, excluding a few chaste kisses, he did not feel their relationship had changed at all. She insisted in keeping it all a secret, except from General Landry, whom she asked for sanction.

The first few weeks, Daniel understood. The revelation of her feelings had hit Sam hard and she needed time to get used to it, but, after a month, he started resenting her attitude. Because of the great love he had for her, he decided not to push her and, to avoid himself more suffering, he slowly started to drift away. He carefully planned his activities so that he would not have to share much time with her, unless necessary for their jobs, and he found new and improved excuses to be unavailable after work. Sam soon caught up and decided to face the problem. She walked to his office, determined to get him to agree to meet outside the mountain to discuss their relationship. She was surprised when he closed the door of the office, sat behind his desk, and declared it was as easy to do it right then, right there.

Sam was not ready for that and, when pressed to talk, she finally told Daniel that she thought it all had been a mistake and that she wanted to end it. She begged him to remain her friend and to go back to the easy relationship they had before Vala's intervention. She did not know what to expect, but she surely did not count on Daniel simply saying, "Okay."

He was clearly not going to discuss it any further, so she left his office with a thank you. She rapidly picked up her stuff and left the base for home. As soon as she was out of the base, she started crying. She did not understand how Daniel could be so indifferent about what had just happened. It reminded her of Pete the day she had broken off their engagement. They had not fought for her or gotten mad or begged for her to change her mind. They had both agreed with her as if they already knew what she was going to say and were simply expecting it. That was when it hit her. They _were_ probably expecting it and they had already worked themselves up to accept it.

She could see how Pete would have imagined that she was not going to end up marrying him, but _Daniel?_ She finally got home and started packing a small bag. She needed some time out and she also had to tie some loose ends. She finished packing, grabbed her cell phone, and called General Landry on her way out. Her superior officer was very understanding and allowed her to take the next day off.

Meanwhile, Daniel went about the rest of the day as if nothing had happened. He _had_ been expecting to get to that point one way or another, so he had been preparing to put all his feelings away in some dark corner of his soul as he had done so many times before. It was not the first time he had lost someone he loved and, this time, at least Sam was still alive. He was relieved that it had been Sam herself who had brought it up and he made a firm resolution not to let it ruin his friendship with her. It would take a while to mend all the damage that had already been made, but with Sam soon going to Atlantis for a couple of months, he would have time to start healing.

When Sam did not show up for work the next day, he gathered all his strength and left a friendly message of concern on her answering machine. He worried about her, but figured she needed time off to reflect and recover. To avoid thinking of Sam as much as possible, he stayed working at the base until very late. When he finally made it home, well after midnight, he was surprised to see the lights on in his living room. He figured that if an intruder had been waiting for him, as it had happened many times since he joined the Program, he would not have turned the lights on. He cautiously approached one of the windows, trying to distinguish any out of place shape inside the room. When he realized that Sam was sitting in one of his armchairs, he was utterly surprised. He walked to the front door and opened it without too much noise. He immediately heard Sam's voice.

"Daniel?" she called from her seat.

"Yes, Sam, it's me," he answered as he walked toward the room where she was waiting for him.

As soon as she saw him come in she said, "I'm sorry for not calling. I didn't know you'd work late or had something else after work. I let myself in with the key you gave me and, then, I must have fallen asleep waiting for you." She stood up and started picking up her coat and her handbag. "We can talk later, maybe tomorrow. I'm sorry," she added.

Daniel was still coming out of his surprise, but reacted just in time to stop her. "No, you don't have to leave. I had to work late, but we can talk now. I would have come earlier if I knew you were expecting me."

Sam looked doubtful for a minute. Finally she said, "Okay."

Daniel suggested going to the kitchen because he had not had dinner. He thought he would be preoccupied fixing something and that way we would avoid looking directly at Sam, as she said whatever it was that she needed to say.

She sat at the kitchen table and watched as Daniel got ingredients from the fridge and pantry and started cooking some kind of pasta. He was silent and she did not know how to start.

"I flew to Washington last night," she finally admitted.

Daniel stilled for a moment. Not in a million years would he have thought of that. She had gone to see Jack? Was that what she was trying to say? "Washington?" he asked, with genuine surprise in his voice.

"Yes. You said you had to make peace with Sha're and Vala. I have long ago gotten over Jonas and Pete, but I needed to see the General."

"The General, Sam? You flew to Washington to check on Jack's intentions toward a relationship with you and you still call him _the General_?"

His tone of voice had been almost unrecognizable to Sam. She could not decide if it was hurt or angry or a mix of both. "I wasn't checking on anything," she said softly. She was certain that Daniel had the right to feel hurt or very angry at how she had treated him in the last weeks. She knew the whole mess was her fault and that she would have to work hard to bring things back to, at least, where they were before their declarations of love.

Daniel turned to look at his food on the stove and she thought he scowled unconscientiously as he did.

"Do you want to hear this or would you like me to go? She asked softly.

Daniel did not turn to look at her, but answered in an even tone of voice, "No, go ahead. Tell me whatever it is that you came to tell me."

Sam stood and walked toward him until she was standing right behind him. He did not acknowledge her presence, and, though she badly wanted to reach out to him and touch him, she kept her hands by her side and began to talk. "I went there because I needed closure. You said there was something there between you and Vala, even if it never went beyond that blurry state, and I felt that the same happened between Jack and me. We never said anything; we never went beyond the looks and the smiles, but-"

"Would you have liked it to happen?" Daniel asked as he turned to put his food on the table, still not looking at her.

"I don't think it would have worked, Daniel. We all care too much about each other; Jack, you, even Teal'c, are too close to me. When I told you that I loved you, I wasn't lying, but I love them both, too."

"So, what you're saying is that if any of us reciprocated that feeling, it would have worked, but you'd preferred it to be Jack. That's why you had to check up on him first." He said it fast and he did not let her interrupt him. Then he sat down and waited for an answer he was certain to already know.

Sam sat facing him and simply said, "No."

"No?"

"No, Daniel. No. No matter how much I love all of you, it wouldn't have worked with anyone but you."

He sighed and shook his head in disbelief. It had clearly not worked between them.

Sam continued. "What I had to do in Washington was clear the air. I had to put things on the table and talk them out. I had to tell Jack what I felt all these years and especially how _he_ made me feel. What I realized is that he made me feel that way because what we all went through together was completely out of the ordinary and he knew how to lead us through it. I love him for that. And I will always love the quiet strength of Teal'c, his courage, his loyalty, no matter what his past was. I talked to Jack and I also talked to Teal'c before coming here. I thanked them for what they mean in my life."

"So, you're going to thank me, too? You don't have to thank me, Sam. I did what I could when I could. I failed so many times… but I was trying. You don't owe me anything. We all did what we had to do for the team."

"There's more, Daniel. Let me say the rest."

"Fine. I'm not stopping you," he said and started eating his meal.

Sam clearly heard the pain in his voice this time. He was not mad at her; not even a little angry. He was just hurt. "You know what the problem is, Daniel? The physical part of this is. The physical attraction. There's none where Teal'c is concerned. He likes Ishta's type and I'm not anything like that. Then, there's Jack, and, yes, I have to admit it, I've felt attracted to him, but I can't get in a relationship with him because of that. I won't sit by the pond fishing for the rest of my life. It was cute for a weekend, with all of you there, but I want something different from life and he doesn't."

Daniel shrugged and kept eating, without looking at her. She would have felt offended by any one else doing that, but she knew how Daniel was and that he was only doing this to avoid showing his emotions.

"Then, Vala got in the middle and I realized how deep my feelings were for you. How much I wanted you to be with me and not with her. However, that's not enough either. Just because I'm jealous of her doesn't mean that I can make you happy. These last weeks I've struggled with that and I've been terrified that once we got together, it wouldn't be satisfying for either of us. I'm not sure that we're compatible that way. You're brilliant, caring, compassionate, and you're also gorgeous, but I'm don't know if you're my type or if I'm yours."

Daniel had stopped eating. He was stunned. He was not sure he knew even what she was talking about.

"You seem to favor petite women, dark haired ones-"

"You mean like Ke'ra or Sarah?" he asked sarcastically.

"No, I mean like Vala, and Sha're had dark hair-"

"Sha're was not petite."

She was about to interrupt again when he stopped her. "Sam, Sam. Listen to me. I would have never told you I was in love with you if I didn't feel attracted to you. It all comes together for me. I don't love you like a sister. I love you like a woman and I have no doubt that we could be happy, even physically, but if you don't feel it, you don't feel it. That's not something you can force. I understand it and if you don't see the chemistry between us, there's nothing else to discuss. I'm not mad, I'm not offended, and I told you before at the office, I will do my best to be your friend." He sighed and stood up. He picked up his plate and threw the rest of the food in the trashcan and started putting the dishes in the dishwasher.

Sam had remained seated, but she suddenly stood up and walked toward him. She stood very close to him and when he straightened up from the dishwasher, she took his face in her hands and kissed him. First, Daniel thought he ought to stop her, then he asked himself why not, and finally he kissed her back with all the passion he had been restraining during their weeks together. When they came apart to breath, Sam looked surprised.

"That was better than I thought it'd be," she said softly.

The comment did not make Daniel happy. "Great," he said with heavy sarcasm and walked toward the sink to pick up more dishes.

"No, Daniel, I mean it. Nobody had ever kissed me that way before."

He was about to say something like _"No wonder you don't expect much of a relationship"_, but he put his hurt and irritation aside and opted for his second alternative. He put down the dishes and walked back to Sam. He looked intensely at her and then he kissed her again. In a few minutes they were making love on the kitchen counter. He had made love in crazy places before, but this was the one he would have never imagined. Sam seemed so enthralled by whatever he was doing, that he was not willing to risk moving to any other room and losing momentum. He had this one chance to prove to her that they _had _chemistry and that he could make her happy, _even physically_, as she had put it.

Sam's thoughts were not far behind. She had suddenly realized that all the other qualities she loved in Daniel were enough to make her happy, because he would have looked for and found a way to satisfy her physically if he had to, but he did not even need to try. He was definitely the most caring and most passionate lover she had ever had, in spite of the kitchen counter. Now, she wanted to show him that she could make him happy, too.

When they finally stopped and took a moment to breath again, Sam put her arms around Daniel's neck and brought him back closer to her. She had trouble bringing her breathing back to normal, but she wanted to say something to him. "You've proven me wrong once again, Dr. Jackson," she smiled. "I don't know why I was putting so much stock on this, but you've surely made it a moot point. I'm sorry if I seemed shallow. You're so good at everything you do, that I had no doubts about you, just about how _we_ would work out together."

"So, you don't have any more doubts?" he whispered.

"None whatsoever," she answered with a smile.

"Would you mind if we move on to a less harsh surface?" he joked.

She shook her head playfully and smiled again. Daniel thought that if the last half hour was an indication of times to come, everything would be all right. As long as he had the patience to help Sam surmount her doubts about their relationship, they would ultimately make it. Besides, this kind of happiness was not something he had been used to in the past. It was worth any effort to maintain.

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think in order to decide how to continue a story or write the next one, or, if there is no interest, stop posting it here.


	5. Chapter 5

**Never Ending **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. Vala has a secret and Sam has promised to help her. This story tags Unending and is kind to Vala and all the other characters in general.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 10 to the end.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Never Ending**

**Chapter 5**

He was surprised when we looked at himself on the T.V. screen. He still looked young in spite of all the years that had passed since he first went through the gate. Sam looked young, too. Maybe going through the stargate had some rejuvenating effects, he theorized with a smile. Definitely not, he joked again when looking at Jack. Well, Jack had not looked very young again after his hair had turned completely gray. "It's all your fault, Danny-boy. I got all this gray hair just because of you. If you keep dying on us it will end up being green," Jack had said more than once. The truth was that those had been very hard years for all of them, fighting secret war after secret war while the rest of the world slept in blissful ignorance. In any case, the wars were over and they were all heroes now, all those who survived and those who did not, too. So many courageous men and women had died along the way that he usually avoided making a final count. He had a special place in his memory and in his heart for the few that had been closer to him; he would never allow himself to forget them.

He looked at Teal'c, now joining the group on the screen. Nobody would guess that he had collected near fifty years more of life than them sometime along the way. That was an episode he usually did not want to think about. He actually did not remember anything of it, but the basic idea was in Teal'c's report. They had lived _those_ lives forever trapped in the ship, without any other human contact than that of their _expanded_ team. He knew that Vala had said that they had gotten together in that life –and Teal'c had reluctantly agreed to confirm it a few years ago– but he still could not imagine how his life could have been without Sam. Since that fateful night, when he had found her sitting in his living room, waiting for him, there had been no life without Sam. She had filled every second and, later on, their children had completed it. No, he could not imagine life without Sam. At this point in his life, he did not think Sam could imagine a life without him either. They had become one in so many ways that some days it almost scared him. Thinking in unison and completing each other's sentences had started long before their marriage, but it was still startling to express the same idea at the same time without previous warning. Sometimes it felt as if their minds had combined into one. Their hearts certainly had and, despite Sam's fears, their bodies had, too. He knew every millimeter of Sam's body and how every touch made it feel. With a slight shiver at the memory of pleasure, he recognized that she knew him as well as he did her. No, that could not have been his real life; this was what he had wanted for so long and, this time, nobody had stolen it away.

A horde of children running into the den interrupted his thoughts. Behind them, Sam and his former teammates walked in with the makings of a party. Today was a day to celebrate. One final treaty signed and peace seemed to be a definite part of the future. Of the present. Of his unending journey among the stars while holding Sam's hand.

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Any comments? Please, take a minute and give your opinion. It is very important for me to know what the readers think.


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